


Quite the Woman

by Avengerz



Category: Black Panther (2018), Black Panther (Comics), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: (lovers is implied not written), Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Everybody knows it, F/M, Fem!Tony, Fix-It, Get Together, M/M, Mutual Pining, Other, Pining, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), T'Challa is smitten
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-16
Updated: 2016-06-16
Packaged: 2018-07-15 06:48:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7212209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Avengerz/pseuds/Avengerz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>T'Challa, the Black Panther, leader of the Panther Clan, King of Wakanda and protector of his people, is most certainly <i>not</i> pining after Antonia Stark, no matter what his sister and the rag-tag band he's hosting in his palace say.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Quite the Woman

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a prompt on [ImagineIronPanther:](http://www.imagineironpanther.tumblr.com) "Could you write about fem!Tony and T'Challa is completely smitten and whether this is pre- or post- Civil War, the Avengers realize how smitten T'Challa really is?"
> 
> This is Post-Captain America: Civil War, so if you still haven't seen it beware of spoilers.

Toni figures it out, of course. She’s a genius with billions of dollars at her disposal and honestly, that leather-clad cat is severely underestimating her if he thinks he can hide half a dozen super-powered fugitives in his palace without her knowing about it.

 

She lets them be, though. Steve had asked it of her and besides, Toni doesn’t think she’s ready to face them. Not yet, possibly not ever. She doesn’t barge into Wakanda, doesn’t try to message them, most certainly doesn’t inform Ross (he’s an asshole that lost what little respect she held for him when he locked her friends in an underwater prison against her knowledge or consent). She lets them be, and when King T’Challa joins the first of many UN sessions in an apparently earnest attempt to locate the fugitives, Toni smirks at him from across the room.

 

He nods back, and in that glance she knows that he knows that she knows.  Toni’s smirk widens and she sips at the scotch she wasn’t supposed to bring in and says nothing.

* * *

 

“Antonia Stark knows you are here,” T’Challa announces one afternoon as he strolls into the common area. He ignores the various outcries of shock and confusion (Barton, rather amusingly, checks his aids to see if he’s hearing things) and plucks a few grapes from the bowl on the kitchen bar.

 

The Captain recovers first. “I’m sorry, your majesty, but what did you just say?”

 

T’Challa pops a grape in his mouth and chews with exaggerated care. He looks around the circle of expectant faces and a small part of him enjoys this, reminding these people who could bring the world to its knees that they do not know everything. “Antonia Stark knows I am hosting you here in Wakanda,” he says, and the terror and devastation splashed across their faces is just as heart-rending as he’d suspected it would be, so T’Challa hastens to add, “but I do not think there is any cause for concern.”

 

“No cause for concern?” The ant one that T’Challa can never the name of speaks up, voice unnaturally high in incredulous fear.

 

“With all due respect,” Rogers interjects, “Toni is the reason we have to hide in the first place. If she knows we’re here, then they’ll be coming after us very soon.” He stands and glances around the room. Barnes hangs his head, eyes flicking over the ornate tapestry of the rug as he pulls at the hem of his sweater with his one good hand. The young witch looks pale. “I’m sorry that we’ve brought this trouble down on you,” Rogers continues, and T’Challa waits him out with an amused tick of the brow. “Especially when you have hosted us out of the goodness of your heart, without expecting anything in return. If there is anything we can do to help protect you or your people-”

 

“My people will be fine,” T’Challa interrupts, even as he imagines the scowl on his old etiquette teacher’s face. “Even if they were not well protected by our warriors, they would have no reason to fear an attack from Mrs. Stark or his people.”

 

A puzzled silence fills the room. “With all due respect,” Rogers tries again, and Wilson finishes the sentiment.

 

“You don’t know Toni like we do, your highness. She’s stubborn and smart and if she wants us, she will get us.”

 

“It is a good thing, then,” T’Challa responds lightly, “that she does not seem to want you. Possibly because she was only acting on the behest of the United Nations when she was sent to apprehend you, and since she has been issued no specific order to track you down, she hasn’t.” T’Challa finds a smile tugging at the edge of his mouth and attempts to suppress it. “I do not believe she would even if they did demand it of her.”

 

“Yeah,” Rogers says slowly, with the kind of tone that makes T’Challa hope he is rethinking some of the events of the last month. “Yeah, Toni’s never been the type of gal to do whatever anyone else what’s her to do.”

 

T’Challa rolls the last grape between his fingers and smiles down at the fruit. “She is quite the woman,” he agrees quietly.

 

Above his head, looks are exchanged, unnoticed.

* * *

 

“So how’re they doing?” Toni watches in amusement as T’Challa’s head jerks up from the papers he’d been examining. He recovers quickly, but Toni catches the way he scans the room to see if anyone’s listening.

 

He doesn’t pretend not to know what she’s talking about, which earns him a bit of Toni’s respect. “They’re fine. Barnes is trying to convince Rogers and myself that we should freeze him in a cryogenic chamber again until we find a way to remove any trace of Hydra from his consciousness.” Toni has to look away from that knowing stare, has to fix her eyes on the Chinese delegation’s table and will away that powerful and confusing storm of lingering anger and guilt. A hand drops on top of hers where it is clenched into a fist on the table, and she looks back at T’challa in surprise.

 

“They are okay,” he repeats quietly and smiles. “Barton and the ant-man can communicate with their families every once in awhile, and Wilson and Wanda seem happy enough.”

 

Toni nods sharply and pulls a folded piece of paper from the pocket of her pantsuit. “Can you give this to Wanda? It’s from Vision. I think he misses her.”

 

T’Challa takes the paper silently, but Toni can feel his gaze on her back as she walks away.

* * *

 

T’Challa tries to visit his guests as frequently as possible, but it is still another day and a half before he enters their quarters again. “Wanda,” he summons the girl. “Antonia told me to give this to you.” For a moment, Wanda looks terrified, and T’Challa quickly adds, “She says it is from a… ‘Vision?’” Apparently that makes sense to her, because Wanda breaks into a smile and takes the piece of paper. (Later, he will find her crying, but they are happy tears.)

 

When T’Challa turns, he finds Rogers watching, something contemplative on his face. “Antonia is not the brash, stupid woman you paint her to be,”T’Challa tells him before he can stop himself. “She recognizes her role in your current isolation, and she regrets it. That is more than even you can do, Rogers.”

 

Rogers drops his gaze to the floor, and T’Challa leaves them.

* * *

 

At the third round of sessions at the UN, Toni approaches him again. Well, more accurately, she flings herself down in the seat not occupied by his terrifying bodyguards and drops a piece of metal on the table in front of him. One of his bodyguards leaps forward, but T’Challa waves her away with a slight smile.

 

“Good afternoon, Antonia,” he says, even as he examines the machine in front of him. “What is this?”

 

“Spider-Man’s web shooter,” she says, and turns a grin on him. “You’ve got a degree in physics, right? I need a fresh pair of eyes to help me improve this.”

 

T’Challa’s face slowly twists in a grin, and Toni thinks he’s as grateful for a respite in horrible bureaucracy as she is.

* * *

 

“She really is quite a genius,” T’Challa tells Shuri on one of their weekly walks through the gardens. “She’s invented or at least theorized technology that even the brightest here in Wakanda could never have imagined. She’s a scholar as much as she is a warrior, and she’s-”

 

“Okay, that’s enough,” Shuri interrupts, and T’Challa turns to his younger sister in surprise. She rolls her eyes. “You’ve been gushing about ‘Antonia this’ and ‘Antonia that’ for the last hour,  _ ubhuti _ .”

 

T’Challa frowns. “I have not-”

 

“Go bother your Avengers about it,” Shuri says firmly, and turns to walk away. She pauses halfway down the path, however, and throws a smirk over her shoulder. “And maybe ask her out.”

* * *

 

At the fourth round, T’Challa brings Toni a return note from Wanda and a necklace. She frowns at the latter. “No offense to Wanda, but I’m not sure Vision will-”

 

“No, no, it is not,” T’Challa stumbles over his words, the least polished and reserved Toni has ever seen him, and her eyebrows creep up her forehead. T’Challa takes a deep breath and tries again. “It is a gift for you, Antonia.” He brushes a finger over the gold claw hanging on the simple chain. “A token of my appreciation for you.”

 

Toni doesn’t know what to say to that, but she wears the necklace.

* * *

 

“You  _ do _ like her!”

 

T’Challa jerks in a useless attempt to cover the plans on his desk as he glares up at the open doorway of his study. Barton raises his hands and steps back, but a wide grin still splits his face.

 

“Can I help you?” T’Challa asks, his voice as cold as he can make it, but he’s afraid the effect might be ruined by the blush that darkens his cheeks and they way he’s still spread awkwardly over his desk to hide his designs for a vibranium Iron Man suit. It was just an idea he’d been toying around with, but it’s certainly not anything he wanted any of the Avengers to see.

 

“No, actually, I’m alright,” Barton says, still grinning widely. “See you around, highness.”

 

T’Challa gets up to close the door firmly behind him before returning to his plans.

* * *

 

They’re on the seventh round of conferences, and at this point Toni’s only showing up to play messenger girl between Vision and Wanda. And, some part of her can admit, to see T’Challa.

 

They’ve been talking every chance they have, wound up in this web of mutual deception and (dare she say it) genuine enjoyment of each other’s company. At least, Toni likes T’Challa, and she’s pretty sure it’s mutual.

 

T’Challa takes her out to a nearby coffee shop during one of the recesses, and Toni can’t deny her relief at escaping the room of stuffy politicians. T’Challa buys her coffee and Toni allows it because she knows that it’s not out of some misplaced act of chivalry, and he actually is richer than her, which is a bit of a novelty. The Dora Milaje watch over their table and T’Challa makes her laugh and he grins at her and Toni’s really starting to hope this feeling is mutual.

 

T’Challa pulls her into copse of trees next to the UN complex and asks, ridiculously polite, if he can kiss her, and she beams and grabs him.

* * *

 

The next morning there’s a picture of T’Challa and Toni having coffee together in the papers, and the Avengers watch him as he steps into the common room. T’Challa’s gaze flickers from the copy of the New York Times on the kitchen counter to the blank look on Roger’s face.

 

“Yes?” He asks, polite and firm with steel, and Barton cracks into laughter first. Soon, though, all the Avengers are grinning widely. T’Challa watches them, wide-eyed, and Rogers claps him on the shoulder.

 

“Good for you,” he says, apparently sincerely. T’Challa gapes, and Barton bursts into renewed bouts of laughter.

 

“Maybe now you’ll stop pining!” Wilson says with a grin.

 

T’Challa blushes, and tomorrow he’ll tell Toni and she’ll laugh.

**Author's Note:**

>  _Ubhuti:_ brother
> 
> Feel free to send more IronPanther prompts to the new [ImagineIronPanther](http://imagineironpanther.tumblr.com) blog!
> 
> Comments, as always, are absolutely adored.


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